Paradise Gone
by kate657
Summary: Not every story has a happy ending. Not everyone stays together. Nobody can ever predict when or how things fall apart or if the pieces will ever fit back together.
1. Part One

A/N: So this is going to be a short story and only five parts. Anyhow, here it is. Leave some words. Enjoy D

"I was hoping you'd come," 17-year-old Nathan Scott said as his gaze swept over the girl standing near the ocean.

"And here I am," she replied, looking at him with those eyes. Those eyes that had haunted him during the day and plagued his dreams at night.

"Where've you been?" he asked, his voice tinged with bitterness. She smirked.

"Oh, you know. Here," she replied, shrugging, "There."

"Well, which is it, here or there?" he asked.

"Everywhere," she said. He rolled his eyes. She always liked to play games with his head. When she didn't want to answer a question, she said the most ridiculous things to confuse him until he forgot the question.

"Give me a straight answer for once, Haley. No more games," he said. Her lips curled into a sarcastic smile.

"We both know that you don't really care where I've been, Nathan. You're just pissed that I left. I could've gone to Pluto and found the cure for cancer and it wouldn't make a difference to you. So what's the point?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm pissed, Haley. I get that way when my wife disappears in the middle of the night, never to be heard from again and then just pops back into my life like nothing happened," he said.

"Your wife?" she repeated and laughed at the phrase.

"Something wrong with your memory? We are still married," he replied.

"Legally. That's about it. I stopped playing the role of your wife the minute you ran around with that slut behind my back," she snapped. Then she gracefully dipped a toe in the water. She turned around and looked at him. "Maybe if you had remembered that you were my husband and the vows that you made, I might've stuck around. But you didn't."

"Oh, so now you're going to turn this around on me?" he asked.

"Why not?" she asked, lifting her eyebrows in question.

"I'm not the one who left," he replied.

"You left our bed," she pointed out. He sighed with frustration.

"Is this really what we've come to?" he asked, looking at her. "Exchanging petty insults because we're too stubborn to admit that we both made mistakes?"

"It would seem so," she said.

"Maybe it's time to put an end to the cycle," he said. Haley stood up straight.

"And how would we accomplish that?" she asked sceptically. Nathan looked away for a minute, summoning up courage he didn't know he had. Almost wished he didn't have. But it was the best thing for both of them, especially her.

"I want a divorce," he said flatly. Her face collapsed as she stared at him in disbelief. Within seconds the vulnerability was gone as the cold demeanour regained control.

Once upon a time, she would've hurled herself at him at the mere mention of the word, but he knew it wasn't going happen. This Haley Scott didn't seem to possess any of those "messy emotions" as she had once cursed herself for having. The messy emotions were love, joy, basically anything that would make someone vulnerable to another person.

Now she just met his gaze and nodded. "I suppose it's high time we ended our misery. I'll have my lawyer draw up the papers and send them to you," she said. She started to walk away.

"Wait a minute!" he called after her. She turned around and glanced at him questioningly. "That's it? After everything we've been through, that's all you have to say?" he demanded.

"What were you expecting, Nathan?" she asked as she glanced around their former wedding spot. "A trip down memory lane? Maybe a re-enactment?" She was referring to a re-enactment of their wedding day.

He sighed, unsure of what he wanted. She just looked at him. "Those days are gone, much like this place," she said, gesturing to where they were standing.

"It was paradise," he reminded her. She nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, but paradise is gone now, Nathan," she said. She turned and walked away from him.


	2. Part Two

**Part Two**

2 years later…

"Nathan?" 19-year-old Haley James asked. It was two years after they graduated. Haley had come back from New York to attend her friend's funeral. Good thing it was the summer and she wasn't missing classes. She would've gone in a heartbeat even if she had missed classes. This was one of her closest friends after all.

Nathan finally met her gaze and attempted a half smile. "Hi, Haley. Thanks for coming," he said. Haley was surprised by the kindness in his tone. Or was he just being formal? She could never really tell and it didn't really matter either way.

"Of course," she said, shaking his outstretched hand. His grasp tightened all of a sudden and he pulled her closer into a bone-crushing hug. Haley tried to steel herself from the feelings that were overcoming her but to no avail. The love that overpowered her will was all too familiar as she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him back. Nathan cried into her hair and then when he was done, he let her go and started to apologize.

"I'm sorry," he said. Haley shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, Nathan. It's understandable. You just lost your brother and I care about you both. I'm here for you," she said. He looked up at her in surprise. "Whatever you need."

"I appreciate it but Karen needs you more than I do," he replied.

"Right," Haley said, reminding herself that she was there for Karen. It had been Karen who called her and told her of Lucas' death. He had been battling cancer for a year and had lost the battle a few days ago. Karen had begged Haley to come to the funeral. She didn't really need to beg; it was Lucas, after all.

"How are you doing these days?" Nathan asked. There was a gleam in his searching gaze that Haley didn't really recognize. Whatever it was that he was searching for, it was making her uncomfortable.

"I'm fine. I mean, I miss Luke, of course, but I spend most of my time at school and doing school work," she replied.

"Journalism, right?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. Haley smiled and looked at him.

"How did you know that?" she asked.

"Please, Haley. You were always writing and you have an powerful way with words. When we were given persuasive essays, you used to get an A+ and extra credit mark because the teacher was so impressed with your work," he said. Haley bushed at the praise. She began to tell him about her job at the local newspaper and working on the school's newspaper.

_The next day_…

Haley followed Nathan into the Roe residence. "So you live here now?" she asked. Nathan nodded.

"After my parents got divorced, my mom wanted to get out from under my dad's thumb. Moving out of that giant house was her idea of taking the first step. So we moved into an apartment for a few months. Karen and Keith bought a big house with six bedrooms and they realized three were empty. So Karen invited my mom to live with her and my mom asked if I could move in as well. They said it was fine and I moved," he explained. Haley nodded.

"Karen hates wasting space. Whenever I used to sleep over, I would start to sleep on the couch but because they had an extra room, she said that it would be designated my room since I slept over so much," Haley said.

"So seeing anyone special?" Nathan asked casually. Haley's head jerked up and looked at him.

"That was subtle," she said sarcastically.

"Just trying to make conversation," he replied, feigning innocence.

"I don't really have a lot of time for dating right now," she replied.

"Understandable. I'm sure working for the school newspaper, the local newspaper and keeping up with your classes is pretty demanding," he said.

Haley nodded. "What about you?" she asked.

"Well, now that you mention it, I just started dating someone," he said. He was searching her face again. This time, whatever he was looking for, he wouldn't find. In that moment, Haley fortified the walls around her.

"Anyone I know?" she asked.

"Taylor," he replied. Haley froze. She turned around and looked at him in disbelief.

"My sister?" she asked.

"Yeah. We've been dating for a few weeks now. Taylor was one of Lucas' nurses in the hospital. Did you know that she went to nursing school?" he asked. Haley nodded.

"I went to her graduation," she replied. Nathan smiled. It was a proud smile. He was proud of Taylor. That meant that things between them were serious. She smiled back. "I'm happy for you both."


	3. Part Three

_A/N: So as you've probably noticed, I'm known for throwing a lot of curveballs, twists or "buses" as some people like to call them, in my stories. In my opinion, I'm not doing my best as an author if I can't keep you on your toes or even throw in a few shocks every once in a while. Now to the point of this information. In this chapter, there will be A LOT of shocks coming your way. Not one, not two but three or four big huge twists that'll make you hate me or love me. But on the plus side: it will be a lot longer to accommodate all these surprises. Well, that's it from me. Here's the chapter. Leave some words (PLEASE. I am in desperate need of feedback- even if it's just a sentence- because I don't know if I should continue with this story or not.) Enjoy :-)_

**Part 3**

_7 ½ years later…_

Nathan woke up and smiled as he saw his fiancée was still asleep. He ran a hand down the soft skin of her arm and slowly slid out of bed, got dressed and headed into the kitchen to start cooking breakfast. Taylor and he would be married in just three weeks.

They had been dating on and off for more than seven years now. Taylor had been dead set against marrying him. She said she didn't believe in the sacrament of marriage, that she'd seen too many marriages torn apart and she did not want to start resenting being with Nathan. Nathan had respected her wishes even though he believed in marriage despite the fact that his first one had failed miserably. He winced when he thought of his first wife.

He had loved her immensely and he would always be thankful for the time that they had shared. She had taught him so much about love and about life including the hard lesson that sometimes love just wasn't enough. He rarely let himself think about Haley especially after she had abruptly fallen out of touch with him and even Taylor. There were moments where he'd wondered what had become of her, if she was happy, if she had fulfilled her dream of becoming a journalist, etc.

He smiled as he heard Taylor's perky voice. She was chatting on the telephone with someone. Nathan bet it was her mother, Lydia James. Ever since the engagement, Taylor and Lydia seemed closer than ever. They talked practically on a daily basis. Taylor eventually wandered into the kitchen with the phone plastered to her ear.

"How's Dad doing?" Taylor asked. A little bit of conversation. Taylor's smile widened but then it faltered. "You did?" Nathan turned around at the change in her tone just in time to see her face collapse.

"What?" he mouthed.

"How is she?" Taylor asked her voice breaking. "Of course I'll come." She snapped her flip phone shut and set it down on the table.

"Tay, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I have to go to Mississauga," Taylor replied.

"You mean Mississippi, right?" Nathan asked, smirking. Taylor could confuse names sometimes.

"No. Mississauga is in Canada," Taylor said. Nathan looked at her questioningly.

"What's in Canada, a dress?" he asked. Taylor shook her head and tears welled up in her eyes.

"Haley," she replied. Nathan felt as if time stood still at the mention of her name. They barely ever spoke of Haley especially since Haley never spoke to either of them for unknown reason.

"What the hell is Haley doing all the way up there?" Nathan asked.

"Apparently she's lived there for the past six and a half years," Taylor replied.

"Well, is she ok?" Nathan asked.

"I don't know. My mom just said that Haley needed her right now and asked if I would come," she explained. Nathan nodded and put down his spatula.

"Then, let's get packed," he said. Taylor smiled.

"That's sweet, but you don't have to come," she said.

"I want to come," he insisted. Taylor looked at him doubtfully.

"You hate travelling. Whenever you come home after a game, you're always complaining about how much of a pain it is," she said.

"That's different. When I travel, I'm stuck on a bus with twenty other guys and a screaming coach. This time, I'll be with you and I'll get to see one of my oldest friends," Nathan said.

Taylor hesitated. "Do you not want me to come?" he asked. She laughed.

"Don't be ridiculous. If you want to come, fine. Just don't feel like you have to because I'm going," she said.

Nathan shook his head. "I wouldn't mind seeing Haley again," he said, hoping his tone didn't reveal how eager he was to see what had become of her.

"I'll call the airline," she said. She hugged him tightly. "Thank you."

◊◊◊

_3 days later…_

Nathan got out of the door and held the door behind him open. Lydia stepped out of the car with a gracious smile on her face. He walked over to the other side, opened Taylor's door and held out a hand which she accepted as he pulled her up from her seat. He turned and finally took a second to look at Haley's new residence.

It was a house. A small, white and grey bungalow with a small garden no more than five metres wide and two metres long. It was filled with tulips, roses- both white and red- and carnations. A garden that Haley had probably planted herself. She had always loved nature and the garden and house were elegant and modest just like Haley herself.

Lydia took the lead as they walked across the road and crossed the driveway over to the steps that led up to Haley's front door. Lydia didn't even bother knocking; she grabbed a set of keys out of her purse and unlocked the door and the deadbolt. They walked in and a burst of cold air hit Nathan the minute he set both feet inside. The house was dark and seemed rather empty, or more precisely, empty.

"Haley, sweetie, are you here?" Lydia called out, her voice echoing seconds after she had closed her mouth. She frowned as she walked up the stairs and swung a right.

"She seems to know where she's going," Nathan commented as he and Taylor followed.

"Our parents are the only ones Haley's kept in touch with these past few years. I can understand why she didn't call our other brothers and sisters since they're in the army, the navy or in Africa doing relief work, referring to their two brothers, Clark and Mike and older sister, Quinn. "But I've been in Tree Hill for a few years now and she knows that. I just don't understand why she cut me off."

"It was odd," Nathan agreed.

"Haley?" Lydia called out one last time as they walked into the kitchen. She left the kitchen and ventured further down the hall. They came to the last door on the right and Lydia turned the knob softly. The door creaked open and it was freezing inside the room but there was definitely someone inside.

Taylor found the light switch and flicked it on. That's when they saw her. Haley was sitting on her bed, her arms wrapped under her knees, holding them to her body. Her head rested against them and she was sobbing convulsively. Lydia came over, put her weight on the bed and sat down beside Haley. She rested a loving arm on her youngest daughter's shoulder and nudged her a little. Haley looked up at her mother. Her lips were quivering as tears spilled out of her eyes.

"Sweetie, what is the matter?" Lydia asked. Haley choked back a sob and remained quiet for a few minutes.

"He killed him," she replied.

"What?" Lydia asked.

"Chris is dead," Haley replied. Lydia gasped. Taylor looked at her mother in confusion.

"Who's Chris?" she asked.

"Her husband," Lydia replied. Haley's face crumpled once again as grief overtook her again.

"Oh, Haley," Taylor said, climbing onto the bed and reaching out to touch her sister but Haley moved away from her. Taylor faltered but shrugged it off.

"How did it happen?" Nathan finally asked. Haley's head shot up at the new voice and her eyes widened with surprise at Nathan but the surprise disappeared rather quickly.

"After his shift ended, on his way home, he responded to a domestic disturbance. It was some husband beating the crap out of his wife. Chris tried to break it up and…" Haley started but her sentence trailed off.

Nathan looked down as he knew that the ending was obviously Chris' demise. "The wife shot him," Haley finished.

"The wife?" Lydia repeated.

"Apparently she didn't agree with the way Chris tried to resolve the situation by hurting her husband," Haley replied. Taylor's face creased with sympathy. "Selfish bitch! If it hadn't been for him, she would probably be lying in a morgue somewhere right about now."

"When's the service?" Taylor asked, not knowing what else to say. Haley looked at her sister momentarily and froze.

"Service?" Haley repeated in confusion. Nathan closed his eyes in regret as he knew that Haley hadn't considered this yet.

"Yeah. The funeral," Taylor replied. Haley's bottom lip quivered and she struggled for breath.

"Oh, God," she said and started crying again. Lydia shot Taylor an annoyed look and Taylor looked at her mother helplessly.

About thirty minutes later, Haley seemed to have calm down a little. She had stopped crying and fell silent. Then she looked around the room and her gaze fell upon Nathan and Taylor. "So what are you guys doing here?" she asked suddenly.

"I asked them to come with me," Lydia replied for them. Haley nodded. She got up and looked around the room.

"Are you going to be staying for long?" Haley asked, looking at her mother.

"For as long as you need me, honey," Lydia replied. Haley nodded and then looked at Taylor and Nathan.

"What about the two of you?" Haley asked.

"We'll be staying for the rest of the weekend," Taylor started. "If that's ok with you."

"Of course. Um, let me show you where the guest rooms are," she said, leading the way out of the room. They followed her out and she remained in the hall just outside the room.

"Well?" Taylor asked. Haley cracked a smile as she pointed to the door beside her room and across the hall.

"Take your pick. The one over there is bigger than the other one so you two will probably want that one," Haley replied.

"Thanks. Come on, Nate," Taylor said, pulling Nathan by the arm into the room.

"Thanks, Haley," Nathan called.

◊◊◊

A week later… 

Haley opened her front door and smiled at Nathan and Taylor. "Thanks for coming back," she said.

"We're here for you," Taylor said. Haley's husband's funeral was in about an hour. "I'll just take a quick shower."

"Quick?" Nathan asked, arching an eyebrow at her mockingly. Taylor made a face.

"Oh, shut up," she said as she grabbed a small bag and went down the hall.

"Do you want something to eat?" Haley asked, already walking towards the kitchen.

"Uh, sure," he replied, following her.

"I don't have much normal food. Neighbours have brought by deserts. The police force sent over some sandwiches," Haley said, as she opened the fridge.

"Sandwich would be fine. Thanks," he replied. Haley nodded and bent down and grabbed a tray of small sandwiches.

"Or sandwiches," she joked as she put them down on the table, revealing how tiny they actually were.

"Wow," he commented. There were like twenty or thirty of them on the tray.

"Yeah. I'm grateful that they sent this. I can't even think about cooking right now," Haley said. Nathan nodded.

"That's understandable," he said.

"So, uh, you guys are still together?" she asked.

"Yeah, we are. Um, we just got back together a few months ago, actually," he replied. He explained that they had gone through some ups and downs the past few years.

"And now you're engaged," Haley said.

"Uh…. Yeah," he said slowly.

"I saw the ring, Nathan," she said.

"Oh," he said.

"It's about time," she said. A few minutes passed and Nathan started to ask Haley how she and Chris had met.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand," he said.

"No, its ok," she said. "We actually met my first week after I moved. Um, I was in Quebec City and I bumped into Chris at the airport while he was waiting for his parents."

"You were in Quebec?" he asked. Haley nodded.

"He was born there. Chris is a French Canadian," she said.

"So he spoke French?" Nathan asked. Haley smiled.

"All the time," she replied, smiling. "He used to speak so fast, I could barely understand him sometimes. He introduced himself to me as Chris le Blanc and I thought he said blank."

"You took French in high school," Nathan said, signalling that she should've understood most of what he said.

"Yeah, in high school for two years. I wasn't raised in a province where the majority speaks French and I didn't go to a French school," Haley said.

"But you did marry a cop," Nathan said. Haley raised her eyebrows at him.

"What's wrong with that?" Haley asked.

"Nothing. It's just that a cop and a journalist is hardly a traditional couple," Nathan said.

"True, but neither is a basketball player and a waitress," she retorted.

"Can't argue with that," he said and they both chuckled. Then Taylor and Lydia walked into the room and Haley turned away from him.

◊◊◊

_7 days later…_

"Are you sure about this, Haley?" Lydia asked as they came back to the house.

"I'm sure. I can't stay here anymore. I don't want to be alone right now," Haley replied as they helped her bring her suitcases into the car.

"You can stay with me and your father as long as you want. You know that. I'm just making sure that you really want to live with us. You said you loved it here," Lydia said. Haley looked around, at her house, the street and her neighbours' houses- her whole life with Chris.

"I did," Haley said.

"But?" Lydia asked.

"It's not the same without him," Haley replied miserably.

"Then, let's get going," Lydia said. Haley and Lydia walked into the house.

A few minutes later, Nathan walked back into the house but heard Haley and Lydia's hushed voices as they were deep in discussion. He stopped at the door.

"This can't be happening to me. It's not the right time," Haley said.

"Honey, it's not. You can handle this," Lydia said.

"Handle it? I just lost my husband of five years. I can't have a baby right now," Haley said.

"You won't," Lydia said. Haley shot her mother a confused look. "It won't be born for another nine months."

Haley glared at her mother and Lydia smirked apologetically. "Well, I'm glad you can make jokes. What am I going to do?" she asked.

"You're going to be a great mother to yours and Chris' baby," Lydia said. Nathan let out a breath. He envied Chris which was absolutely absurd since the poor guy was dead.

Lydia was right; Haley would make a great mother. Nathan had known what a wonderful mom she would be since he met her. Only he had imagined Haley as the mother of his children, not Chris le Blanc's.


	4. Part Four

**Part 4**

_3 years later..._

Taylor wandered into her house at two o'clock in the morning. She crept up the stairs and quietly opened her bedroom door. It was pitch black in the room. She slowly got undressed and pulled her nightgown on. Just then the lamp was turned on. Nathan was sitting up in bed, wearing an old grey t-shirt he'd had before they'd gotten married and he looked pissed. "Where've you been?" he asked.

"Out," Taylor replied, shooting him a glance as she climbed into bed beside him.

"Where, Taylor?" he asked, turning to face her as she started to lie down.

"I was at a friend's," she replied. Nathan chuckled to himself as he looked at her for another minute and then looked away.

"A friend's, huh?" he asked and let it hang in the air. He stood up revealing checkered boxers. He walked looked down at her and a sarcastic smile tugged at his mouth. "Which 'friend' as it this time? Jack, Simon or was it Mark this time?"

"Does it make any difference?" she asked rhetorically. He widened his eyes in surprise.

"Good. At least you're not going to try to deny it this time," he said. He had lost count how many times they had gone through the scenario. The only thing different about this time was her denial and the argument that followed.

"There's no point in denying it. We both know you won't do anything about it. You're too afraid of failing another marriage," Taylor said confidently. Nathan swallowed hard at that.

"Forget failure; this marriage was a mistake. My first marriage may not have lasted but it wasn't a failure," Nathan said. Taylor chuckled at him.

"It was doomed before it started. You were too young, you didn't have any money, and then you cheated on her," Taylor replied and shot him a knowing smile.

"And the irony that you ended up cheating on me after I cheated on Haley with you is not lost on me," Nathan commented sadly. He looked down at the woman before him, shook his head and walked out of the room. He grabbed a blanket and headed into the guest room. He couldn't fathom sleeping next to her anymore.

◊◊◊

_2 days later…_

"My mom called," Taylor announced as she walked into the kitchen in the morning. Nathan looked up from his plate.

"What'd she want?" he asked in an empty tone. She walked over and leaned down to kiss him good morning but he turned his head back to his plate and she ended up kissing air.

Taylor sighed. She could never get him to respond to her whatsoever. "She wanted to remind me that the family reunion is next weekend in Charlotte," Taylor replied. They had one almost every two years. Some relatives came and some didn't. It usually varied.

"Have fun," he said dryly. Taylor smiled as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"We will," she said. He looked up at her and shook his head.

"I'm not going," he said.

"I beg to differ," Taylor said.

"It's your family, Taylor, not mine," he said. Taylor held up her left hand.

"We're married, Nathan so they're your family too. Whether you like it or not," Taylor said. He opened his mouth to argue but Taylor glared him into silence. "You can hate me, but this is my family, Nathan. If I show up at the reunion without you, they're going to know something's up and that means phone calls."

"Taylor…" he started.

"Daily phone calls," she interjected. Nathan didn't need anymore convincing.

"I'll pack a bag this afternoon," he replied.

◊◊◊

_The next day…_

_James Family Reunion (Charlotte, North Carolina)_

Nathan and Taylor got out of their black SUV and grabbed their tent, duffel and sleeping bags. Within ten minutes, they had their tent set up. They laid their sleeping bags out and Nathan pulled his a few inches apart. Then they closed up their tent and headed to the area where the main festivities were taking place.

"Taylor, Nathan, you made it!" Lydia exclaimed holding out her arms to hug Taylor and then Nathan.

"Wouldn't miss it," Taylor said in a cheerful voice.

"Yeah," Nathan said half-heartedly.

"How is the team doing?" Jimmy asked as he clapped him on the back.

"We're doing fine," Nathan replied. Then, out of nowhere a little girl with wild brown curls came running towards Lydia and grabbed onto her legs. Lydia laughed in amusement. She picked the young girl up and looked at her.

"Well, hello there! Where's your mom?" she asked.

"Marie le Blanc-James!" an animated voice yelled from a few metres away. Nathan didn't even have to guess who the voice belonged to. Haley appeared in less than two minutes and her eyes zeroed in on the little girl in Lydia's arms.

"_Ma mama n'est pas gentile avec moi, grand-mère_," Marie said. Haley stiffened.

"_Pardonnez moi?_" Haley asked, looking at the young girl.

"What did she say, Haley?" Lydia asked in a confused voice as she set Marie down. Marie came closer to Haley.

"Let's just say it was a bad thing to say," Haley said as she looked down at her daughter.

"_Mama, je…_" Marie started.

"_Ca suffit, Marie,_" Haley said.

"_Mais_," she said. Haley shook her head at her and her eyes narrowed a little. Marie bit her lip.

"_En anglais, s'il vous plait_," Haley instructed. Her daughter nodded. A smile tugged at Haley's mouth as she knelt down and opened her arms. Marie ran to them and Haley rose. "That's my girl."

"Since when do you speak fluent French?" Taylor asked.

"Since I've been living in Quebec for a year and a half to be near Chris' father and her grandfather insisted on teaching her the language at birth," Haley replied. Then she glanced at her mom. "So when I went to live there, I took a few lessons."

"And now you're living?" Taylor asked.

"Tree Hill. We just moved back a few weeks ago," Haley replied.

"Why?" Nathan asked. Haley glanced at him and her smile widened.

"Madame le Blanc passed away two months ago," Haley replied.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's ok. It's been tougher for her than it has for me," Haley replied.

"Well, I'm sorry that she died but I'm glad you're back home where you belong," Lydia said.

◊◊◊

_3 weeks later..._

"So Tay's not home?" Haley asked as Nathan led her and Marie into the kitchen.

"No, she's not," Nathan replied somewhat sadly. Haley sighed in disappointment. She asked if there was somewhere she could put Marie down and Nathan led her into the second guest room. Haley put her purse down and laid Marie down on the bed and covered her with a blanket Nathan had grabbed her from the closet.

"Thanks," Haley said. They quietly walked out of the room.

"Marie's beautiful, Hales. She looks just like you," Nathan said.

"Thanks," she said.

"How's the advice column doing?" Nathan asked as he put some coffee on for them. Haley smiled at the mention of the column she wrote weekly.

"_Asked & Answered_ gets a lot of attention now. I've got more than a hundred letters a week and I was worried that I might not get enough response to it," Haley replied, smiling in amusement.

"So, I've noticed," Nathan commented. Haley looked at him for a minute. He smiled at her.

"You read it?" she asked.

"Every week," he replied. She blushed. She got up and walked over to him and grabbed them two mugs from the overhead cupboard. "You've always been good at telling people what to do so I'm not surprised that it's doing so well." Haley hit him on the shoulder.

"I'm not telling them what to do. I'm advising them on what they should do," she corrected.

"As I said, you've always been good at that," Nathan said. Haley rolled her eyes.

"I gave you some pretty good advice not too long ago," she replied. Nathan froze. He turned around and looked at her in shock.

"How?" he asked.

"You signed your jersey number at the bottom instead of your name, Nathan. It was clever but did you really think I wouldn't figure out that it was you?" Haley asked. Nathan smiled as he realized it was a number she'd probably never forget since she had gotten it tattooed above her ass. "How are things really going between you and Taylor?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I've consulted a divorce lawyer," he replied. Haley frowned.

"That bad?" she asked.

"Worse," he said almost angrily. Haley looked at him for an explanation. He looked down as he answered. "She's been cheating on me. She actually got pregnant a while back and tried to pass it off as mine."

"What happened and how do you know it wasn't yours?" Haley asked. He looked at her. "If you don't mind me asking."

"She aborted it. We haven't slept together in over six months. There's no way it could've been mine since she got pregnant two months ago," he replied.

"Wow," Haley said.

"It's over," Nathan confirmed.

"I'm really sorry. I wanted you to be happy," Haley said.

"I was for a while," he replied. He wandered over to the table.

"What changed?" Haley asked, sitting down beside him.

"I woke up and realized I was married to the woman I love's sister," Nathan said.

"Nathan," Haley started.

"It's you. It's always been you, Hales," he said.

"There are some things you just don't do. Going after your sister's husband is one of them," she said.

"I'm not going to be her husband forever," he pointed out.

"Not their ex-husbands either," Haley said.

"Taylor did," Nathan said.

Haley smirked as she said, "I'm not Taylor."

"Trust me. I know that," Nathan said. Haley looked at him thoughtfully. "What do you think I should do?"

"If you're really not happy with her, Nathan, and I can understand why you wouldn't be, then divorce her and move on. But if you think you could be happy with her and are only miserable because you want to be with me, don't do it," Haley said.

"I'm not happy with her. I would divorce her if you were in the picture or not," Nathan said.

"Well, then, there you go. If you're not happy, there's no choice. You deserve happiness," Haley said.

"It isn't going to happen, Haley. I was happy and I screwed it up by straying. If I hadn't done that, things would be so different," Nathan said.

"They probably would be, but we'll never know now," Haley said.

"And knowing that kills me," Nathan said. He moved closer to her. He leaned in and before Haley could stop him, he pressed his lips against hers. And neither noticed that the front door had slammed closed or heard the footsteps heading towards the kitchen. A few bags dropped down to the ground.

"Well, isn't this interesting?" Taylor asked. Haley and Nathan jumped apart.


	5. Part Five

_A/N: You and Iall know that _ _Taylor__ was the "slut" that Nathan slept with while he and Haley were still married and in this chapter, another character making their debut into the story in this chapter will accidentally spill the beans and then just sit back and watch the aftershock. Interested? Leave some words. Enjoy_

Part 5

_One year and six months later…_

Haley got out of her car and walked into her old high school on Tuesday afternoon. She walked passed her old locker and smiled as she remembered the times when Nathan would be leaning against it to surprise her in between classes. It was another lifetime and the memories were so vivid that it was as if it happened just a few days ago. But she knew that that wasn't so. She shook her head as she rounded the corner to the Visual Arts teacher's office. She knocked on the door. There were two hushed voices and a lot of things were being moved. She could hear high heels clicking against the floor as someone approached the door a few minutes later.

It opened and the curly blond woman before her smiled at her. "Haley James, what the hell are you doing here?" Peyton exclaimed, taking her outstretched hand and yanking her into a hug.

"It's a long story," Haley replied as she pulled away. Peyton nodded and walked to her desk. Haley looked at the man in the room and smiled at him. She had completely forgotten that someone else was in the room. "Hey, Jake."

"Haley," Jake said quietly. Haley frowned at the odd tone in his voice. He looked at Peyton. "I'll see you this afternoon. Bye." He walked over and pecked Peyton on the cheek. He turned to look at Haley and shook his head in what Haley guessed was disappointment and walked out the door. Peyton turned back to Haley and smiled.

"So, how have you been?" she asked. Haley shook her head.

"No way," Haley said.

"What?" Peyton asked.

"There's no way you're going to change the subject to me. What was that all about?" Haley asked.

"What was what all about?" Peyton asked. Haley glared at her old friend.

"The Mr. Freeze thing. What did I do now to offend Jake?" Haley asked. The annoyance in her voice stuck out like a sore thumb.

"He doesn't like the fact that you're here," Peyton said.

"Where?" Haley asked.

"In Tree Hill," she replied.

"I live here," Haley said.

"Not for the last few months," Peyton pointed out. Haley scoffed.

"I left for my parents' sakes," Haley said.

"I know that," Peyton said.

"Well, your tone would suggest otherwise," Haley countered. Peyton looked away for a second. "Peyton, Taylor and Nathan were going through a divorce. Taylor walked in on us kissing. Can you imagine her reaction?"

"I could imagine but I don't think she has a right to be upset," Peyton replied. Haley looked at her in confusion.

"Nathan was her husband and I was kissing him. How does she not have the right to be upset about that?" Haley asked.

"Well, he was your ex-husband and she had no problem with moving in on him," Peyton said.

"That's different," Haley said.

"No, it's not. In fact, what she did to you was worse," Peyton said.

"Nathan and I had been over for over two years by then. I admit that I wasn't happy that Nathan moved on with my sister but he and I weren't together so I really don't have any right to be upset," Haley said.

"What about when you were together and she slept with him?" Peyton asked without thinking.

Haley paled. "What?" she exclaimed.

"Damn it! Never mind," Peyton said, trying to dodge Haley's gaze. She looked up and Haley was looking at her with a 'like that's going to work' look in her eyes.

"Did you just say that Nathan and Taylor slept together while we were married?" Haley asked her voice full of pain.

"Yes," Peyton replied with a shake of her head. "I'm so sorry, Hales. I found out a while before Luke died." Haley stopped to think for a second and her eyes widened as if she had just realized something.

"I have to go," Haley said.

"Go where?" Peyton asked.

"I need to talk to Nathan. Is he working today?" she asked.

"Yeah. He has a spare right now. He's probably in his office," Peyton replied. Haley nodded and walked out of Peyton's office.

◊◊◊

Nathan was sitting at his desk looking over some assignments from his Health class when all of a sudden the door burst open and he looked up to see Haley staring down at him. Or more like glaring. "Haley, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to see Peyton, but I realized that I needed to talk to you," she replied.

"About what?" he asked.

"This might seem a little late in coming but we never really talked about what happened," she said.

"I'm not following," he said, shaking his head in confusion.

"Why didn't you ever tell me who she was?" Haley asked.

"Who she was?" he repeated slowly, clearly not understanding what she was talking about. Haley looked away for a second.

"The one you ignored your vows for," Haley replied.

"Oh," he said and nodded. "Why is that important now?"

"Was it Taylor?" Haley asked. Her voice was breaking. Nathan hesitated and she let out a breath. "Wow."

"Haley," he started.

"You really did sleep with my sister while we were married?" she asked.

"Look, I know this is a big shock, but that happened a long time ago," he said brokenly. It was almost as if he knew there was nothing he could say.

"You told me she was just some girl you met in a bar," Haley said.

"She was," Nathan said.

"My sister is not just some girl, Nathan. I grew up with Taylor," Haley snapped. Nathan closed his mouth. Haley shook her head. "And to think that I actually felt guilty for _kissing_ you."

"I'm sorry. I never should have slept with her but I was drunk out of my mind that night, Hales. I didn't know who she was until the morning after," Nathan said. Haley glared at him.

"Don't try to excuse it, Nathan. You still cheated on me. The fact that you didn't know it was my sister until afterwards doesn't change that," Haley said.

"I know and I should've told you about Taylor," he said.

"Why didn't you?" Haley demanded.

"I didn't want to ruin your relationship with her because of a mistake that I made," he replied.

"Well, Taylor already did that when she slept with you," Haley spat.

"I was trying to protect you from being hurt like that," he said.

"I don't remember ever asking you to protect me," she said. Nathan sighed.

"You don't have to ask me, Haley. It's a reflex," Nathan said. Haley raised her eyebrows.

"That reflex didn't stop you from sleeping with her. It didn't stop you from hurting me then," Haley said.

"And there's nothing I can say to excuse that or explain why I did it because I honestly don't know," he said.

"That doesn't really matter _now_. It's all water under the bridge," she said. She picked up her purse and started to leave.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I have to pick Marie up from my parents' house," Haley replied.

"I thought that they dropped her off so you don't run into Taylor. Wasn't that what you told your parents before you left?" Nathan asked. Haley nodded and laughed.

"Right now protecting Taylor from being hurt isn't exactly one of my priorities," Haley said. She was fuming.

"You're going to subject Marie to that?" he asked. Haley stopped moving for a second as she realized he was right.

"No," Haley said, "I'll have the sitter bring her home while I deal with Taylor."

◊◊◊

"You have a lot of nerve to show your face around here," Taylor hissed as she walked into their family's kitchen.

"I came to pick up my daughter who was visiting her grandparents. And I have just as much right to be here as you do," Haley said as she looked up from the table. She was sitting with her father chatting about what her column. He had it spread out in front of him.

"Well, I live here now. No thanks to you," Taylor said. Haley scoffed.

"You're not seriously going to try to blame _me_ for Nathan leaving you? You did that all on your own," Haley said.

"Well, someone motivated him to want a divorce," Taylor said folding her arms across her chest as she leaned against the wall. Haley leaned forward and crossed her arms over the table.

"Yeah, it was the same person who got pregnant by someone else and tried to pass the baby off as his," Haley said. Taylor's eyes widened a little. Haley only smiled.

"We would've been able to get through that," she said.

"Keep dreaming, Taylor. No guy would ever get passed that especially Nathan," Haley said.

"That's not the point. Nathan was my husband and I walked in on you kissing him," Taylor said. Haley scoffed.

"Well, you had _sex_ with my husband, Taylor, and turnabout is fair play!" Haley exclaimed. Their father's head darted up at the announcement. He looked at Taylor.

"You had sex with Chris? How did you even meet him?" Jimmy asked.

"Not Chris, Dad. Taylor was the one Nathan had sex with," Haley said, getting up and walking over to her sister, fixing her with a glare, "while we were still married."

"Taylor, how could you?" Lydia demanded from behind her older daughter. Taylor merely shrugged.

"He was lonely. Someone had to give him what he was practically begging for," Taylor said with devilish smirk. Haley's eyes went wide with pain.

"Taylor Vivian James," Lydia scolded. Taylor rolled her eyes in response.

"Give me a break, Mom. Haley's old enough to hear the truth now. We all know that she was too much of a prude to really satisfy a guy like Nathan," Taylor said. Haley recovered and smirked at her sister with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Maybe I was too inexperienced back then but I always knew more than you when it came to love. That's something Nathan and I had down and _that_ was what you walked in on last year," Haley said. Taylor's jaw clenched.

"If that's true then I feel sorry for Chris. It's probably a good thing that he's dead. This way he'll never have to know that he wasn't the one in your heart," Taylor spat. Haley raised her arm and slapped her sister square across the face. Taylor held her face in pain and Haley walked out the door.

◊◊◊

"Haley, she's wrong," Nathan said as he sat down beside her. Haley had called him over to her apartment after the blow-out with Taylor.

"Is she?" Haley shot back. Nathan looked at him. "I cared about Chris a great deal, Nathan, but what I felt for him has never held a candle to what I feel for you." Nathan stopped himself from smiling at the admission.

"That doesn't mean that you didn't love him," Nathan said.

"Sure it does. If I truly loved Chris, I never would've kissed you that day," she said.

"I kissed you, remember? And Chris had been dead for three years, Haley," Nathan said. Haley looked away from him. "Moving on is not something to be ashamed of. Chris wouldn't want you to be alone for the rest of your life."

"I know that, Nathan, but some part of me can't help but wonder if Chris hadn't died, would we still be together?" Haley said.

"But Chris did die, so there's no point in beating yourself up over this," Nathan said.

"_Mama!_" Marie's small voice cried. Haley smiled at him, got up and walked down the hall. A few minutes later, she returned.

"Is everything ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, she just needed some water," Haley replied as she sat down on the couch beside him again.

"Are you all right now?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied. He smiled and started to get up but Haley pulled him back down beside her. "But I don't want you to go yet." He looked at her in surprise and Haley smiled only smiled at him and leaned her head against his shoulder in response.


	6. Part Six

**A/N: Well, the end is here. I know it's sad. I absolutely hate ending stories as you all know, but it's time. I won't give anything away and yes it is the shortest of all the chapters. The reason it took me so long is that this is an alternate ending. I had a change of heart and rewrote the entire thing this afternoon. Leave some words. Enjoy **Katy :-)

**Part Six** (Epilogue)

_Six months later…_

Nathan Scott stood in the sand watching the waves roll in and crash against the shore of the beach. It had been more than ten years since he'd stood at this spot and the fact that he was actually here again seemed like a dream.

There had been few times in his life that he'd had this kind of clarity. Being with Haley had always made him feel as if he had all the answers to every question in the world. He was at peace with her and even though he knew that the world was full of its problems, as long as he had Haley, that stuff didn't bother him.

Some people might call it a false sense of hope, others might say he had blinders on if he couldn't see what a mess the world really was but even if all that was true, Nathan didn't care because being in love was better.

Being in love with her was like finding his paradise with her. No one could touch them. And when they were apart, his paradise was gone but like most things, it was never truly gone. Only misplaced and a few months ago, they had found it again.

"I have been looking everywhere for you," Haley breathed as she came up from behind him. He turned around and smiled at her.

"Well, here I am," he said, lightly chuckling as she glared at him. She came closer and swatted him.

"I was worried. I thought something had happened to you!" she exclaimed. A smile tugged at his lips but he looked down at her apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Hales. I didn't mean to worry you," he apologized.

"Would it have killed you to leave a note instead of making me waddle all the way out here?" she asked. She was still for a second and a look of wonder crossed her face. He was about to ask if something was wrong when she took his hand and put it on her stomach. He massaged the soft fabric of her dress and smiled as he felt the light kick in from their baby inside her abdomen. He looked at her and nodded.

"He's certainly an active one," Nathan commented. Haley rolled her eyes at him and then looked around the place. She then shot a questioning glance his way.

"What are you doing out here anyways?" she asked.

"Thinking," he replied but it didn't take a genius to figure out that he was remembering their first wedding. And Haley was a genius. She shook her head.

"Living in the past is not a very attractive quality, Nathan," she reminded him.

"I'm reminiscing. That's not the same thing," he said. Haley looked up at him in amusement.

"I stand corrected," she said. He looked down at her. She leaned against him. "You're needed in this reality." He put his arm around her and pulled her tighter against him.

"I never left," he assured her. Haley nodded. A confused look crossed his face. "Where's Marie?"

"Waiting for you to take her to McDonald's. Just out of curiosity, how did she manage to persuade you to take her?" Haley asked. Nathan smiled at the memory of that morning in the kitchen.

"She called me 'dad'," he replied. Haley laughed.

"Men are so easy," she quipped as they turned around and headed back to their house.


End file.
